As difficult as it might be to imagine a world without Coca-Cola, Post-it notes, or Velcro, these inventions have one thing in common: they were invented accidentally, usually while trying to develop something else, or improvised in a moment of inspiration. This attractive and entertaining little coffee-table book reveals fascinating stories behind 60 such toys, foods, gadgets, and tools that we now consider indispensable, from peanut butter to stainless steel, roller skates to wire coat hangars, matches to adhesive bandages. The book is illustrated with 240 photos—many of them humorous archival images.